[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 141 (Friday, October 9, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12100-S12101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
UTAH SCHOOLS AND LAND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1998
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 574, H.R. 3830.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (H.R. 3830) to provide for the exchange of certain
lands within the State of Utah.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate
consideration of the bill?
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I yield to Senator Hatch for 2 minutes, and
then to Senator Bennett for 2 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise to express my support for this
legislation to exchange school trust lands located in Utah to the
federal government. This timely piece of legislation has the full
support of the Utah delegation, the Governor of Utah, and the Clinton
administration, as well as the PTA and local educators from across our
state. It is, in some small measure, the result of the unfortunate
situation created several years ago when President Clinton created the
Grand Staircase Escalante Monument that withdrew hundreds of thousands
of additional Utah school trust lands from benefitting Utah s school
children. This bill represents the largest land exchange in the history
of Utah.
I commend the President for being willing to do this, the Secretary
of the Interior for being willing to do this, and others on the floor,
including my colleague, Senator Bennett, the chairman of the Energy
Committee, Senator Murkowski, and the distinguished Senator from
Arkansas, Senator Bumpers. Without their leadership and support, this
legislation would not have been possible. I want to express that
appreciation. This is a momentous day for the State of Utah that will
leave a lasting legacy for our school children.
This bill passed the House of Representatives in July and was
approved by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources last
month. I am pleased the full Senate will consider it today and send it
to the President.
I and all the citizens of Utah have looked forward anxiously to this
day, which has been a long time coming.
When Utah became a state in 1896, Congress designated a portion of
each township in the state to be set aside as School Trust Land which
would be used to generate revenue for Utah's schools. The patchwork
layout of these school trust lands across the state has historically
created management difficulties between federal and state governments.
As new national parks, forests, and monuments are designated, the
school lands are often enveloped within them. This has the effect of
closing off development of these lands and, therefore, any revenue they
might produce for the school land trust fund.
As of 1995, over 200,000 acres of school trust land, called
inholdings, were isolated this way. As I mentioned, President Clinton
doubled this amount with his designation of the Grand Staircase-
Escalante Monument in 1996.
At the time of the creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante
Monument, President Clinton gave numerous assurances that Utah's school
children would not be hurt by this designation. H.R. 3830 represents
the partial fulfillment of these promises.
The Utah Schools and Lands Exchange Act is the culmination of long
and careful deliberations between Governor Leavitt and Secretary of the
Interior Bruce Babbitt. As a result of this thorough and delicate
planning, the act enjoys broad support from environmentalists, private
landowners, educators, legislators, and the Administration.
The bill exchanges approximately 350,000 acres of school trust lands
located in Utah monuments, recreation areas, national parks, and
forests to the Federal Government. To provide equitable compensation
for these lands, Utah will receive cash, lands, mineral rights, coal
deposits, and other Federal properties. I assure my colleagues that
this is a fair and equitable exchange of assets.
The land received by the Federal Government, totaling 376,739 acres
of
[[Page S12101]]
land and 65,853 acres of mineral rights, includes school trust areas
that are similar in nature to the surrounding blocks of federal lands.
By transferring these areas to the federal government, the land will
fall under federal protection and management.
Consolidation of these lands will be beneficial because land
ownership will be harmonized, precious natural resources will be
preserved and protected, and the American public will gain access to
previously isolated areas.
A number of priceless natural landmarks will come under the
protection of the federal government as a result of this bill. These
include: Eye of the Whale Arch, located in Arches National Park;
ancient Native American ruins and the Jacob Hamblin Arch of Glen Canyon
National Recreation Area; several hundred-foot red rock cliffs located
within the Grand Staircase Escalante Monument; and the high mountain
alpine area in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest known as Franklin
Basin. Other natural wonders safeguarded through the exchange include:
ancient Native American rock art panels in Dinosaur National Monument
and unique geologic formations of the Waterpocket Fold within Capitol
Reef National Park.
Mr. President, H.R. 3830 addresses many land management problems
which have plagued Utah for decades. Specifically, this measure helps
solve a problem suffered by all states, such as Utah, having large
tracts of federally owned or controlled land --that is, the starvation
and lack of funding for our school systems which traditionally depend
on property taxes for funding.
The trust land system, developed by Congress in the 19th century
during the period of westward expansion, was an attempt to offset the
losses from the Federal Government's desire to protect certain lands.
We are pleased that, after 2 years, the Clinton administration has
delivered on this commitment.
I especially want to commend Utah Governor Mike Leavitt for
undertaking the task of painstaking identification of lands for
exchange and for conducting these negotiations with the Interior
Department. His determination and dedication to initiating this process
cannot be understated.
I also want to recognize the efforts of Utah's educators, parents,
and school board members, who kept this issue on the front burner.
Their dedication to resolving this serious funding helped drive these
negotiations and ensure that nothing got bogged down. In short, land is
land; but we needed to keep our eye on the ball, and that is our
children.
Again, I want to thank my friend and colleague, Senator Bennett, for
his efforts on this bill. I know he shares my feeling of joy that this
bill is finally coming to fruition. It means a great deal to improving
education in our State, and I appreciate my colleagues' support.
I yield to my colleague.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The junior Senator from Utah.
Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, thank you.
This is a delightful day. As I think about the issue of swapping
land, school trust lands in Utah for other Federal lands, I realize
that this is an issue that my father worked on in this Chamber over 40
years ago. Governor Matheson, to keep it bipartisan, the Democratic
Governor of Utah, tried an initiative on this same issue while he was
the Governor some 20 years ago. To see it finally come to fruition now
brings me a great sense of satisfaction.
I thank my senior colleague for his support and leadership on this
issue, I thank the members of the Energy Committee for their work, and
I particularly thank my friend from Arkansas, the senior Senator, Mr.
Bumpers, for his support as we have gone through this. He and I became
acquainted when I first came to the Senate and went on that committee.
We worked on a number of issues together, and I am delighted that this
is one that comes together in a bipartisan fashion.
So this is a time of rejoicing, nostalgia, and great pleasure on my
part.
Mr. BUMPERS addressed the Chair.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I believe I still have the time. If the
Senator from Arkansas would like a couple of minutes, I would be glad
to yield to him for a comment.
Mr. BUMPERS. Mr. President, there are few Senators in the U.S. Senate
for whom I have ever held a higher esteem than my good friend Bob
Bennett. Therefore, several months ago, when I put a hold on this Utah
land exchange, which was divinely desired by the Governor and the
Interior Department, which is a rare instance--would that all land
exchanges had this kind of support--I went to Senator Bennett and I
told him privately--and he will agree to this--I told him privately,
``Bob, if push comes to shove''--I am not going to go into the details
of why I put a hold on it. We all do these things around here
occasionally. I never liked it, but sometimes we have to do things to
protect ourselves.
I told Senator Bennett privately, ``At the right time, I will take my
hold off this bill.'' I said, ``I want you to know I would never allow
something this popular and well received to go down and''----
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Will the Senator suspend?
The Chamber will come to order. The Senate will come to order.
The Senator from Arkansas.
Mr. BUMPERS. I must say, his determination--his fierce
determination--to get this bill passed was reflected in the fact that
he asked me every day for 6 months when I was going to take my hold
off. This morning, I was very happy to tell him that my reason for
putting the hold on in the first place had been resolved. One of the
happiest days of my life was the day I could take that hold off to
accommodate the Senator and Senator Hatch. I know he has been actively
involved in this also.
I just wanted to say that, Mr. President. I thank the leader very
much for yielding the time.
Mr. LOTT. Has the clerk reported the title?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk has reported.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be
read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be laid
upon the table without intervening action.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill (H.R. 3830) was considered read the third time and passed.
____________________